What God says in Hebrews 13 should be of interest to every Christian - whether leader or led. To the leader it asks, 'Have I got my priorities and style right?' To the led it asks, 'Allowing for human failings, have I got essentially faithful Biblical leadership?' It also asks a too infrequently voiced question: 'What are my responsibilities to my leaders, not just what are theirs to me?'.
The book of Hebrews is so relevant to us. It describes Christians who through the pressure of "the world, the flesh and the devil" are dangerously drifting away from their spiritual moorings in Christ. They need to wake up, listen to God's Word, and understand the superiority (to any other inferior alternative) of Christ and all that He offers. In the light of Christ's sufferings for us as our representative and substitute on the cross, and his understanding therefore of the pressures we face, and his strength to help us overcome, we are called to endure suffering and not grow weary or fainthearted.
In Hebrews 13 the writer is summing up his argument and drawing conclusions. Good leaders are important in a church in danger of drifting. They need to get their priorities right and be as a result taken seriously. They have a very important part to play in the health and well-being of the church.
Bishop Wallace Benn is recently retired Bishop of Lewes, England; he is President of the Church of England Evangelical Council and founding Chairman of the Bible by the Beach Convention. He is a keen Bible teacher, much in demand as a speaker, and his research interests include the work of the 17th Century Bishop Ussher. He is married to Lindsay, and has two children and one grandchild. When time permits, he enjoys watching motor racing and rugby.
